Shelf bracket and clips



July 16, 1963- w. R. ATTWQOD SHELF BRACKET AND CLIPS Filed Noy. 25, 1960 INVENTOR. WA RREN R. ATTWOOD BY cm; 0/3;

ATTY

United States Patent Filed Nov. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 71,512 6 Claims. (Cl. 248-250) vThis invention relates to a shelf bracket and clips therefor, and more particularly to an adjustable and demountable shelf bracket and clips therefor, for use with adjustable metal framing.

A common use of adjustable metal framing angle and channel members lies in build-ing metal frame racks and shelves for storage of all kinds of materials. It has been difficult to build satisfactory storage racks and shelves with required adjustability of the shelves for lack of suitable brackets for supporting and fastening the shelves on available metal framing structures. have sought to provide the desirable and necessary flexibility and adjustability for such shelving with a minimum number of different sizes and shapes of parts to be used therewith as the principal object of this invention, and have succeeded in this purpose with the shelf bracket and clips for use therewith disclosed herein.

Additional advantages of my device will appear in the following specification and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of my bracket;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective View of one [form of clip;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second form of clip;

FIG. 5 isa perspective view of my bracket and clips in use in supporting shelving;

FIG. 6 is a detailed perspective view showing the use of the second form of clip;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the bracket and clip assembly as shown in FIG. 6; and

-FlG. 8 is a perspective view of the bracket mounted for supporting shelving in tilted position.

In the drawings 10 represents the bracket generally, which comprises :a flat, longitudinally extending substantially triangular sheet metal member, having a top edge 11, a side edge 12, and a diagonal edge :13 which forms the hypotenuse of the triangle. The point or apex of the triangle is preferably cut olf, leaving the front edge '14, but it will be understood that the pointed end or apex may be left on the member without departing from my invention. A plurality or series of longitudinally extending spaced slots 15 are provided adjacent the top edge 11 of the bracket and are parallel with the top edge 11, to receive the clips as more :fully described below. A round hole 16 or other suitably shaped perforation is provided adjacent the common corner of the bracket between the top and side edges 11 and 12 thereof for pivotally supporting a bracket to a framing member, as more fully described below. A second slot having width approximating that of the diameter of the hole 16 may be provided at the common corner between the side edge 12 and diagonal edge 13, for the purpose of receiving an attaching bolt, as described below. As shown the slot 18 has parallel sides, but it will be understood that the slot 18 may be arcuate in shape, on the arc of a circle having its center at the center of the perforation 16. But for normal use the slot 18 with parallel sides has sufficient clearance with the bolts with which it would be normally used to make an arcuate-shaped slot unnecessary. As shown, the bracket member 10 has a right angle, or 90 angle between the-top edge 11 and side edge 12, but it is unnecessary that these two edges be precisely right-angled.

The cooperating clip, shown generally at 20 has a flat shelf supporting surface 21, preferably formed with two bifurcated fingers or prongs 21a and 2112, with the open 3,097,822 Patented July 16, 1963 end of the slot 22 formed between the two prong-s 21a and 21b providing space for a nail, screw or bolt or other attaching means (not shown), for [firmly attaching the clip to the shelf 40 (FIG. 5), which the bracket '10 and clips 20 are designed to support. The other end of the clip 20 is provided with a bent portion 24 with off-set tongue or tongues 25, adapted to be inserted (in reverse position as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) into the slots 15 of the bracket 10. In FIG. 3 the tongue 25 is shown comprising two portions 25a and 25b with an open ended slot 26 between them. But it will be understood that the slot 26 may be omitted and that the tongue 25 may comprise one integral tongue extending across the width of the clip 20, if desired. The divided tongues 25a and 25b are provided for facilitating manufacture of a single tongue prong of substantially one-half the width of the clip 20, as shown in FIG. 4, to permit two clips 20 to be inserted and supported in a single slot 15 in the bracket 10, in tandem relation with the supporting surface 21 (or prongs or fingers 21a and 21b) extending in opposite 1 directions from the bracket 10, as shown more fully in FIGS. 6 and 7. But unless it is desired to mount two clips in a single slot 15 with the supporting surfaces 21 extending in opposite directions, a single tongue 25 having the width of the clip 20 may be substituted.

in use, with an adjustable metal framing system, as designed, my bracket 10 and clips 20 are shown mounted for supporting a shelf 40 shown in FIG. v5. As shown in FIG. 5 an angle iron 30 having sides 30a and 30b is held fixed in vertical relation with holes or knock-outs 32 formed therein. The shelf bracket 10 is then pivotally lOI fixedly mounted as on the front side 30a with the angle member 30 by means of the bolt 34, with a customary head and removable nut and washer on its opposite end (not shown), extending through the hole 16 in the bracket member 10 and the appropriate hole 32 of the angle member 30. If desired a second bolt 36 is then extended through the slot 18 and an appropriate hole 32 in the angle member 30 behind it for the purpose of fixedly holding the bracket member 10 in either a horizontal position shown in FIG. 5, or at an inclined angle as shown in FIG. 8. [[t will be understood that the shelf 40 may be similarly supported at an angle inclining from the front edge of the shelf to the rear if desired, by mere adjustment of the bolt 36 in the slot 18. As shown in FIG. 5 clips 20 are supported in slots 15 of the bracket member 10 by having their bent and offset tongues 25 inserted through the slots 15. It will be understood that two other clips may be similarly supported in the other slots 15 and extending in supporting relation on the optposite side of the bracket, if desired. Likewise if it is desired to have two clips supported in the same slot and extending in supporting relation in opposite directions from a slot 15, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, two clips 20 with a single half width tongue 25, as shown in FIG. 4, may be inserted in a single slot 1-5 in the bracket member.

If it is desired to support the shelf 40 on the brackets 10, in either downwardly inclined relation as shown in FIG. 8, or in an upwardly inclined relation (not shown), it will be understood that it is merely necessary to adjust the position of the bolt 36 in its relation with the slot =18 in the bracket member 10, and that the bracket 10 may thus be firmly held in its inclined relation. If the inclination of the bracket member is such that the bottom corner of the side edge 12 would normally extend beyond the inside edge of the angle 30a of the angle member, it will be necessary to mount the bracket 10 on the outside edge of the angle 30a, as shown more particularly in FIG. 8.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a shelving bracket and clips therefor having great flexibility and adjustability for supporting shelving thereon, with a mini- 03 mum number of different sizes and shapes of brackets and clips to be used therewith, in an adjustable metal framing system.

I claim:

1. A bracket for use with metal framing for adjustably supporting shelving thereon, comprising a flat, longitudinally extending sheet metal member having a top edge, side edge and a lower edge, one or more spaced slots arranged in said member parallel with the top edge for receiving clips horizontally mounted therein at right angles to said member, a perforation at the common corner between the top and side edges for pivotally supporting the bracket to a framing member, and in combination therewith, a clip having a flat shelf-supporting surface, and at its opposite end a bent offset tongue for insertion in the slots of said member, said shelving being supported on the top edge of the sheet metal member and the flat shelf supporting surface of the clip.

2. A bracket as set forth in claim 1, in which the flat supporting surface of the clip is divided by an elongated open slot for reception of means for attaching said clip to a shelf.

3. A bracket, for use With metal framing for 'adjustably supporting shelving thereon, comprising a flat, longitudinally extending sheet metal member having a top edge, side edge, and a diagonal lower edge, a row of spaced slots arranged in said member adjacent the top edge thereof and parallel therewith for receiving clips horizontally mounted therein and at right angles to said member, a perforation at the common corner between the top and side edges, for pivotally supporting the bracket to a framing member, and in combination therewith, a clip having a flat top surface, and at its opposite end a bent offset tongue for insertion in the slots of said member, said shelving being supported on the top edge of said membet and on the flat top surface of said clips.

4. A bracket as set forth in claim 3, in which the fiat top surface of the clip is divided by an elongated open slot for receiving means for attaching the clip to the shelvmg.

5 5. A bracket for use with metal framing for adjustably supporting shelving thereon comprising in combination a fiat, longitudinally extending, sheet metal member and a clip having a shelf supporting surface adapted to cooperate therewith, said bracket having a top edge, a side edge and a lower edge, clip receiving means associated with said top edge, said means comprising one or more spaced slots arranged in said member parallel with said top edge and adapted to receive clips and means associated with said side edge for adjustably mounting said bracket on said metal framing; said clip having a fiat shelf-supporting surface, and at its opposite end a bent offset tongue adapted to be inserted in the slots of said member and when inserted to support said shelfsupporting surface horizontally at right angles to said 20 member, said member and said clip in combination providing a support for said shelving in the top edge of said sheet metal member and in the flat shelf-supporting surface of said clip.

6. A bracket as set forth in claim 5 in which the flat 25 top surface of the clip is divided by an elongated open slot for receiving means for attaching the clip to the shelving.

References Cited in the file of this patent Great Britain Feb. 18, 1959 

1. A BRACKET FOR USE WITH METAL FRAMING FOR ADJUSTABLY SUPPORTING SHELVING THEREON, COMPRISING A FLAT, LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SHEET METAL MEMBER HAVING A TOP EDGE, SIDE EDGE AND A LOWER EDGE, ONE OR MORE SPACED SLOTS ARRANGED IN SAID MEMBER PARALLEL WITH THE TOP EDGE FOR RECEIVING CLIPS HORIZONTALLY MOUNTED THEREIN AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID MEMBER, A PERFORATION AT THE COMMON CORNER BETWEEN THE TOP AND SIDE EDGES FOR PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING THE BRACKET TO A FRAMING MEMBER, AND IN COMBINATION THEREWITH, A CLIP HAVING A FLAT SHELF-SUPPORTING SURFACE, AND AT ITS OPPOSITE END A BENT OFFSET TONGUE FOR INSERTION IN THE SLOTS OF SAID MEMBER, SAID SHELVING BEING SUPPORTED ON THE TOP EDGE OF THE SHEET METAL MEMBER AND THE FLAT SHELF SUPPORTING SURFACE OF THE CLIP. 